Florida Sports Wire

SAVANNAH, Ga. (www.jaxsportsday.com) — The Florida Panthers and Savannah Ghost Pirates announced  that they have extended their affiliation agreement through the 2028–29 season. The 2026–27 campaign will mark the third season of the partnership between Savannah and Florida. “We are extremely excited to continue our partnership with the Florida Panthers and the Charlotte Checkers,” said John Thompson, Executive Vice President of Zawyer Sports Savannah. “We want to thank the entire Panthers organization as we continue to build success over the next three seasons.” Through its first two seasons, the affiliation has helped develop several players in Savannah, including goaltenders Cooper Black and Kirill Gerasimyuk, who are nearing their NHL debuts.  It has also seen Evan Cormier, the Ghost Pirates’ goaltender for the past two seasons, raise the Stanley Cup with the Panthers in 2025. “The Savannah Ghost Pirates have been a tremendous partner in our player development pipeline, an...

ESTERO – The Florida Everblades capitalized when it mattered most, securing a 1–0 victory over the Wheeling Nailers at Hertz Arena in front of 6,764 fans to take another step in the Eastern Conference Finals. Zach Berzolla provided the difference-maker, scoring early in the second period for what stood as the game’s lone goal. The opening frame was physical from the start, with both teams finishing checks and establishing a competitive tone. Both sides traded power-play opportunities, as the Nailers received the first man advantage but were unable to convert, followed by a Florida power play that also came up empty. The Everblades controlled much of the pace early and held a 12–9 edge in shots on goal after the first period. Florida broke through quickly in the second as Berzolla found the back of the net off assists from Riese Zmolek and Jesse Lansdell. The Everblades continued to apply pressure throughout the middle frame and earned four additional power-play opportunities but were u...

SHREWSBURY, N.J. - The ECHL averaged, 5,018 fans per game during the 2025-26 regular season, marking the first time the League has surpassed the 5,000 mark per game since 1997-98, when the average was 5,013 per game. This is the fourth time in 38 seasons that the ECHL has exceeded 5,000 fans per game, with the all-time highest average of 5,312 occurring in 1994-95 and 5,273 in 1996-97. “Coming into the 2025-26 Season, our League goal was to surpass 5,000 fans per game,” said ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. “The ECHL is honored to recognize this achievement and the growth of our 30 markets through the dedication of each front office team with the continued mindset to engage in our communities and provide hometown entertainment. This has led to more fans of our teams and the growth of hockey, to which we collectively say ‘Thank You’ to all of our supporters who make the ECHL atmosphere so exciting to be a part of.”  Among the highlights this season were two of the largest single game...

  North Division Semifinals (Best of Seven) #1 Wheeling Nailers (46-20-6) vs. #4 Reading Royals (36-26-10) Series Matchup Sheet Wheeling enters the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the third consecutive season off of its first division title since 2003-04 while Reading is in the postseason for the fourth time in five years. The two teams are meeting in the playoffs for the fourth time, with the Nailers coming out on top in two of the three previous series, including the last meeting in 2016. The Nailers went 46-20-6 in the regular season, and were one of three teams to win at least 22 games both at home and on the road. Connor Lockhart (21g-34a) and Brent Johnson (12g-43a) shared the team lead with 55 points. Johnson, who was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team, led all ECHL defensemen in scoring this season. Taylor Gauthier was tied for the ECHL lead with a .929 save percentage and ranked third with a 2.09 goals-against average while going 21-9-5 in 36 appearances. The Royals posted a 36-26-1...

  JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Icemen, ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and the AHL’s Rochester Americans announced today that forward Adam McMaster has been named the Inglasco ECHL Player of the Week for April 13-19. McMaster scored two goals and added four assists for six points in three games last week. The 25-year-old had a goal and an assist in a 5-4 shootout loss at Greenville on Friday, dished out a pair of assists in a 4-3 win over the Swamp Rabbits on Saturday and had a goal and an assist in a 7-5 victory against Orlando on Sunday. A native of Beamsville, Ontario, McMaster totaled 43 points (21g-22a) in 70 games with Jacksonville and Tulsa this season. He made his pro debut with the Oilers last season, recording three points (1g-2a) in eight games. Prior to turning pro, McMaster tallied 61 points (26g-35a) in 103 career games at Acadia University and 145 points (50g-105a) in 254 career games in the Ontario Hockey League with North Bay and Owen Sound. On behal...

  Photo by Nancy DeLander Beecher/Florida Sports Wire JACKSONVILLE (Special to Florida Sports Wire) – Cole Moberg’s second of the season fueled the comeback victory Thursday night over Jacksonville 3-2 in overtime. Anthony Romano opened the scoring late in the first period on the power play to give the Florida Everblades a 1–0 lead in an otherwise evenly played opening frame. Jacksonville generated early pressure but could not solve Cam Johnson, who kept the Icemen off the board. Florida nearly struck first on an early zone entry as Logan Lambdin set up Isaac Nurse with a cross-ice feed, but Topias Leinonen sprawled out to deny the chance. Both sides traded opportunities late in the period, including a shot from Jett Jones that rang the iron, while Logan Cockerill forced a turnover for Jacksonville but was turned aside by an outstretched Johnson. A late power play proved to be the difference, as Romano buried a long-range shot 20 seconds into the man advantage for his 22nd goal of...

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Josh Zary scored his first professional goal and Keaton Mastrodonato hit pay dirt on the power play, but the Jacksonville Icemen struck twice in the final minute, including Craig Martin’s winner with 22.5 to play, to steal a win from the Greenville Swamp Rabbits 3-2 on Sunday afternoon. The loss drops the Swamp Rabbits elimination number to 14 with 11 games to go. The Swamp Rabbits jumped on the board first, carrying a lead into the intermission on a career milestone. Just 2:28 into the game, Josh Zary notched his first professional goal, tapping a rebound created off a John Parker-Jones redirect past Topias Leinonen to give the Swamp Rabbits a 1-0 lead (Parker-Jones and Cole Fraser assisted). Jacksonville halved the game in the second, but were once again answered heading into the final stanza. With 8:23 to play, Dave Jankowski snuck behind the Swamp Rabbits defense on a breakaway and rifled a shot that bounced off the crossbar, off Swamp Rabbits goaltender Isaiah ...

Photo by Nancy DeLander Beecher/Florida Sports Wire By Mike Bonts JACKSONVILLE (Florida Sports Wire) -- The Jacksonville Icemen (25-29-7-1) continued their ECHL playoff push Sunday afternoon with a much needed 2-1 win over the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (24-28-7-1) at Veterans Memorial Arena. The victory has the the Icemen just four points behind Savannah and the fourth playoff spot in the South Division. Topias Leinonen started in goal for the Icemen. He stopped 19 shots in picking up his second win since joining Jacksonville after seven starts with Rochester of the AHL.  Will Hillman, put the Icemen on the board in the first period. Tyler Kopff and Taos Jordan pick up the assists on Hillman's 14th goal of the season. Jacksonville added to their lead in the second on a shorthanded goal by Craig Martin, his 15th of the seaason. David Jankowski got the helper. Denis Smirnov spoiled the shutout on his 16th tally of the seaaon with 5:50 to play in the game. Patrick Polino and Wade Murp...

FILE PHOTO by Nancy DeLander Beecher  Special to Florida Sports Wire JACKSONVILLE - After trailing by a goal for much of the contest, a late surge by the Florida Everblades produced three third-period goals, including multi-point performances from three players, leading to a 4–2 victory over the Jacksonville Icemen and officially clinching a playoff spot. The Jacksonville Icemen opened the scoring midway through the first period as Trevor Griebel fired a wrist shot from the right circle, notching the Icemen’s first goal of the night and the first professional goal of his career.  Lordanthony Grissom and Adam McMaster picked up the assists on the play. No further scoring followed in the opening frame, leaving the Blades trailing 1–0. Florida recorded six shots on Michael Bullion, while the Icemen put 11 shots on Kyle McClellan, who was making his first start in an Everblades sweater. With the second period nearing a scoreless finish, Oliver Chau got the Blades on the board at 1...

The ECHL will be represented by 34 former players in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games which begin this week in Milan and Cortina, Italy. Eleven of the 12 teams in the tournament feature at least one former ECHL player, with Italy and Latvia leading the way with seven former players while France has five former ECHL players. In addition to the 34 former ECHL players in the Olympics, ECHL linesman Jake Davis has been selected to work during the tournament. Former ECHL officials Nick Briganti, Sean MacFarlane, Kirsten Welsh and Tarrington Wyonzek have also been selected to work games during the Olympics. John Wroblewski, who played for Fresno from 2003-06; was assistant coach for Wheeling in 2010-11 and head coach for Gwinnett from 2011-13, is the head coach for the United States women's team in the Olympics. Former ECHL players in the 2026 Winter Olympics Canada – Jordan Binnington (Kalamazoo, 2013-14), Darcy Kuemper (Ontario, 2011-12 and Orlando, 2012-13) and Logan Thompson (Adirondack...

  JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Icemen, ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and the AHL’s Rochester Americans are pleased to announce the removal of the interim tag to Sean Teakle and Garrett Cockerill.  Teakle officially becomes the fourth head coach in Icemen history, while Cockerill will officially return as assistant coach.   “We are very pleased to announce Sean Teakle as our new head coach,” said Zawyer Sports VP of Hockey Operations Joe Ernst. “Sean proved over the last half of this past season that he is the right person both on and off the ice to lead the Icemen. The passion, enthusiasm, teaching and communication that Sean brings to the rink every day is second to none. We cannot think of a more deserving and prepared individual to lead the Jacksonville Icemen Hockey Team while having the confidence that he will put a competitive team on the ice each night that will continue to make Jacksonville proud.”  Teakle was initially elevated from ass...

  ORLANDO – Cole Moberg’s power-play goal with 1:48 left in the third period snapped a 1-1 tie as the Florida Everblades defeated the Orlando Solar Bears 3-1 in Game Five of the South Division Finals Saturday night at Kia Center.  Saturday’s victory wrapped up the best-of-seven series for Florida by a four-games-to-one margin and sealed a 14th consecutive postseason series win as the South Division Champion Blades have cleared another hurdle en route to a possible fourth consecutive Kelly Cup title. Orlando scored the only goal of the first period as Anthony Bardaro put the Solar Bears ahead 1-0 at 7:51 of the opening frame. That early tally proved to be the only goal of the contest for the home team, as the Everblades limited the Solar Bears to just 11 shots on goal over the rest of the match. Colton Hargrove knotted the game 3:25 into the second frame, tipping home his fifth goal of the playoffs with Moberg and Logan Lambdin picking up the assists. While the Everblades were...

Andrew Fyten followed Alex Kile’s example with an overtime winner of his own to give the Florida Everblades a 2-1 overtime win over the Jacksonville Icemen in Game Two of the South Division Semifinals in front of 6,084 fans.  The South Carolina Stingrays earned a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory against the Orlando Solar Bears in front of 5,744 fans to take a 2-0 series lead Florida now leads the best-of-seven series 2-0 with the series shifting to Jacksonville next week. The first period saw Florida generate more chances, but both teams came up scoreless in the opening frame. Craig Needham and Justin McRae fought each other for both to pick up their first playoff fighting major in their careers. In the second, Carson Gicewicz scored a five-hole goal eight seconds in to a power play to open the scoring. Oliver Chau and Cole Moberg gabbed helpers on the opening goal. In the third, Derek Lodermeier tied the game with a shorthanded goal after the Blades turned it over in their own zone....

 SHREWSBURY, N.J. – South Carolina Stingrays’ defenseman Romain Rodzinski is the AMI Graphics ECHL Plus Performer of the Month for March after leading the league with a plus-minus rating of +24 during the month. Rodzinski posted an even or better rating in 13 of his 14 games in March. He was a +4 on March 3 at Orlando and March 14 at Atlanta, a +3 on March 23 against Jacksonville and a +2 in five games. A native of Blainville, Quebec, Rodzinski is a +26 overall on the season while posting 22 points (8g-14a) in 42 games with South Carolina and Idaho. Rodzinski has totaled 35 points (11g-24a) in 82 career ECHL games with the Stingrays and Steelheads. Prior to turning pro, Rodzinski tallied four assists in five games at Concordia University and 41 points (8g-33a) in 178 in with Quebec, Cape Breton and Chicoutimi of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. In recognition of his accomplishment, AMI Graphics will present Romain Rodzinski with a personalized Plus Performer of the Month ...

SHREWSBURY, N.J. – The ECHL on Wednesday announced the Eastern Conference and Western Conference selections for the 2024-25 Midseason All-Star Team.   As a part of the All-Star selection,  DASH  - the Official Mobile Auction Platform of the ECHL - will auction off each player’s jersey. The auction is now live and will run through Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. ET. Visit the links below to place your bids.   ECHL Eastern Conference All-Star Jersey Auction   ECHL Western Conference All-Star Jersey Auction   The roster for the ECHL All-Stars was determined in a vote of coaches, team captains, media relations directors and broadcasters. The coaches were determined by the team with the highest points percentage in each conference through games of Jan. 5, 2025.   Eastern Conference All-Stars Western Conference All-Stars Goaltenders Goaltenders Cam Johnson, Florida Everblades Mark Sinclair, Bloomington Bison Sergei Murashov, Wheeling Nailers   ...